A Silent Love
by xo-little-lotte-xo
Summary: Written much like the Susan Kay book. Takes place BEFORE Erik becomes the Phantom of the Opera. What his life could have been like in a gypsy fair. And what happens when he meets a girl with crystal eyes...
1. Prologue

**A/N This is my first fan fic, so please, please, please let me know what you think. I do not own the rights to Erik. However, I do for nearly every other character that will be mentioned.**

**The prologue is extremely short, rest assured, the chapters will be longer! **

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Prologue 

Erik replaced his mask that covered the entirety of his face. It had been yet another flawless performance and he once again had brought all the crowds and their money into his tent to be witnesses to his extraordinary talents.

He wasn't a gypsy, but no traveling fair would deny him to journey with them. He brought with him a great deal of stories and rumors that people paid heavily to see. And as a result, would pay well to see the other attractions.

In only his early twenties, he was the most sought-after attraction to watch. Performing amazing things with only his voice and a flower. He had such a unique ventriloquistic ability to make it seem as though a simple thing as a lily could sing with a voice from heaven. But by far his strangest attribute was his face. The entire right side was scarred by terrible and horrendous burns. No one was sure how he had received them, and no one dared ask. He had a severe temper that was fearful to behold. It was widely assumed they were simply from birth. But there was more than one rumor about the ways he could have acquired them.

Erik sighed as he picked up the coins that people would drop on the floor with satisfaction after watching his amazing performances and then his hideous face. He always drew the same reaction from every crowd in every city. The women would scream and cover their children's eyes as they would either cry or scream with their mothers. The men mostly just would stand there with their mouths agape. Unable to utter a single sound. Erik always found this rather ironic considering that moments before the crowd would be yelling at him to take off the mask. Saying they wanted to see what was underneath it. What could he possibly be hiding? But every time, the reactions would be the same.

He became numb to the screams, the crying, the looks. But he had never found a way to become numb to the names. And names he most certainly had; living corpse, devil's child, walking death, anything that could possibly be thought of. But the name that had always hurt him the most, was monster. He was no monster, but a man. And yet this human race, would never accept him as one of their own. And in time, Erik found that he wanted no more to be apart of the human race then they wanted him to be. He became a race all his own. A race of darkness, stealth, death, and genius.


	2. Crystal Eyes

Chapter 1

Erik was collecting the last of the dropped coins when he spotted her. It was hard to mistake those eyes. They were like blue crystals shimmering in a sea of coal. He always noticed her eyes and rarely even had the chance to notice anything else, for as soon as he would see her, she would run away. So aside from the fact that she was a gypsy girl, had the most amazing eyes and would sit huddled in the corner of his tent nearly every night, he knew nothing of her. Perhaps if he would venture from his tent instead of being reclusive, he would have found out all he would need to know. But this he only did on extremely rare occasions. He preferred to be alone.

After nearly two months of seeing those eyes, he knew he had to find out more about her. He left his tent in the cover of thick darkness. He was dressed in all black, except for his white mask. When he stepped outside the air wrapped around him as if to greet a stranger and to find out what new creature it was that entered into the night. He made sure his cape was secure around his muscular shoulders. It was a warm night and he didn't require his cape, but it provided a cover for him to hide with if need be.

He crept towards the sounds of the gypsy's nightly party. They had a bon fire as normal and were carousing, singing and drinking to their successful day. Erik found a spot next to a tent and listened to the babble of the drunken men. They were boasting of their profits and who had acquired the most that night. Erik smirked slightly at what they were proud to say they earned.

The man that earned the most had not even made a tenth as much as Erik had that night. But he could see whyhe had made more than the other gypsies. He had two daughters that he was parading around the fire. Boasting that no man could hope to make as much money as him when he had two such beautiful girls that would dance for the well-paying men.

Erik watched in wonder as the girls moved around; showing off their dancing. Twisting and turning around each other. They were beautiful indeed. Their hair was as black as the night and their skin was a beautiful tan. Their eyes were hazel with just enough flecks of yellow to make them seem to glow in the light of the dancing flames. They were tall and slender and seemed to be only a few years younger than Erik. Though Erik himself did not know how old he was. He had been told it was his birthday once. He was only just five then and he had tried to forget that day alone with all the others from his childhood. But his mind was too brilliant to be able to bury the events of that day so long ago. He had only one birthday wish, and he could still see the look on his beautiful mother's face when he had asked her. He didn't ask for much and yet it was something his mother could not give to him.

Erik was just about to leave in disgust at the memory when he saw those two ice blue eyes coming over and joining the two beautiful girls as they now sat near the fire. She had hair like the two daughters and was tall, but that was where the similarity ended. Her skin was much more pale and she was not at all slender. She was not fat, but she did have curves. The man with the two daughters laughed when he saw the girl and he pulled her harshly to her feet by her wrist. "And how much did you bring in my mud flower?" He asked her. He held her only inches from his face still grasping tightly onto her wrist.

Erik closed his eyes as and tried to clam his flaring temper. No man should ever treat a woman in that manner. He could almost feel the man's breath on his own neck and was repulsed. He could only imagine what it was like for that poor girl.

The girl pulled out a small leather bag and handed it to the man who poured the contents out into his hand. The gold and silver coins clanked against each other and Erik was surprised to see that there had to be almost as much as that foul man had boasted of bringing in. The man's fist clenched and he shoved the girl to the ground, forcing her to pick up the coins that had fallen from his grimy hand. His anger was evident as he yelled at the girl to leave and not to dare come back to any bon fire with so few coins. This quite confused Erik and he slipped away from the crowds to follow the girl that had taken off running and cradling her wrist.

He found her walking through the animal's cages. Stopping at each one to pet or feed them. Erik was amazed at how gentle she was and how each animal treated her as if she was one of them and not just as a human who used them. No animal refused her touch and they ate right out of her palm with no objections. But this was nothing compared to what she did with the last cage. It was much bigger than all the other enclosures and instead of reaching into the cage, she took a key that had been secured to the metal bars and unlocked the door.

Erik's heart started to beat a little faster. He knew what was in the cage. And sure enough, two enormous tigers jumped out. One was a Siberian and the other was a Panthera. More commonly known as the white tiger. The magnificent creatures rubbed their enormous bodies against the girl's legs. She pet each one, running her hand from their moist noses down their backs. She treated them as if they were normal house cats and they seemed content to act that way. She led them out into an open area and began to have the animals do different tricks.

It was then that Erik understood what it was that the girl did at the fair. She was the tiger trainer. He had heard about her and the amazing things she did with the powerful creatures, but he had never known what she looked like.

He crept closer, wanting to watch her every move. Seeing her interact with the tigers was incredible. She would stand very still and with a simple signal from her hand the tigers would obey her every command. From rolling over to standing with their front paws on her shoulders.

The girl motioned for the Siberian to cross the field and stand on the far side. It obeyed and stood patiently waiting the next command. His heart raced and he had to suppress an urge to call out to the girl. He was suddenly aware that he didn't want to see the girl harmed. It was a strange emotion for him. He hadn't felt concerned for anyone in years. Why should this girl make him feel any different? She was just like the rest of them.

Any thoughts that were going through his head suddenly vanished into nothingness as the tiger reached the girl and with one powerful burst of it's hind legs leaped over the girl. But it didn't have quite enough power behind it and knocked the girl to the ground. Erik jumped to his feet and made a run for the girl. She wasn't that far away and his speed was incredible. He reached her quickly and felt for a pulse. He couldn't hide a sigh as he felt the tapping feeling under his fingers. His thoughts turned for a moment from the girl's safety to his own as he realized that he was staring in the yellow eyes of the massive tiger. A low growl resonating from the it's throat. Answered by a growl from just behind him. He suddenly realized that he was now in the mercy of two creatures that had the ability to kill him with little effort.

He had made a grave mistake. It was possible that the animals thought that it was him that had caused the girl to get hurt. He knew that tigers were extremely protective and he had just ran into the middle of an extremely big problem.


	3. Strange Emotions

**A/N Well, I hope you're still enjoying it! I will be adding chapter 3 hopfully within the week. Thank you so much for reading and for your reviews!**

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Chapter 2

The great tiger in front of him leaned closer to Erik. He closed his eyes, fully expecting to never open them on this earth again. So it came as a great shock of relief when the tiger nuzzled him under his chin, as if to say that they knew he was ok to help their fallen master.

He sighed as he understood and quickly realized that he wasn't sure what to do next. He knew she couldn't stay lying in the field all night if she had a concussion, but he wasn't sure he could carry her all the way to her tent. He was strong and knew that even though she wasn't skinny, he could still probably carry her. But the sleeping tents were on the other side of the camp.

But his worries didn't last long as the girl stirred and slowly opened her eyes. He could see the fear in them as her eyes focused on the white mask. He offered her his hand and she reluctantly took it as he helped her stand.

"Let me see you walk a straight line." He commanded her, taking a few steps back. The girl was obviously still shaken up from waking to see this mysterious man hovering over her and now asking her to do things that made no sense. She obeyed without question.

He stared directly into her incredible eyes to make sure she could focus. Her eyes were wide with still wide with panic, but she held his gaze. Staring straight into his stormy eyes. He almost felt like smiling at seeing she was fine. But instead of smiling a new kind of fear crept into his heart. He didn't understand why he was so relieved that she was ok. It scared him to feel this way. He was terrified that if he gave into them he would soon find himself trapped and unable to stop himself from caring for someone again. Anytime it seemed he would start to care about someone, something awful would happen to them. He was determined not to let that happen again.

"Go home and get some rest." He said suddenly. The harshness of his tone surprising even himself. "And try to be more careful. Don't you know these animals can kill you?" He turned and fled away. Feeling the need to hide in the safety of his tent. He had left too quickly for the girl to be able to say anything, but he felt as though even if he had, she wouldn't have said a word.

The girl was left standing in the field while the two tigers lingered at her feet. She tapped twice on her leg and they followed her contentedly back to their cage. After she had locked the door and was walking back to her tent as commanded, she looked at where the strange man had disappeared as the night engulfed him. She half-smiled at the thought of him helping her.

She had watched him intently almost every night in his performances. But she was always terrified when he saw her that he might get angry at her for staring at him. She had heard that he was a devil and could put curses on people. So when she had woken lying on the ground to see him kneeling beside her, she was afraid that he had cursed her and had come to kill her. But his eyes were what betrayed him. While they might appear to be threatening to anyone else, she could see the compassion in them. They were gentle. Too gentle to be that of a devil, or of anything that could possibly be considered evil.

She had noticed that he did not touch her. At least not that she was aware of. Too often had gypsy men taken advantage of helpless women. But he seamed almost nervous around her.

The girl turned and ran off to her tent. Her heart still racing from the excitement. She was almost sure she would have laughed and told her friends all about it if she had any friends. Or for that matter, if she could talk...

Erik reached his tent out of breath. His head swam with this new feeling. He hadn't meant to let her see him. But for some strange reason, he had wanted her to. He had wanted to see her eyes. And the feeling of her staring back into his was overwhelming.

He threw off his cape and stumbled into his bed of pillows, but sleep would not come and relieve him of his thoughts.

After nearly an hour of tossing and turning, he got up and retrieved a vial from a case of potions he had made. Growing up in a gypsy fair, he had learned to make potions for almost any illness from assorted "witches". They were always eager to teach the strange boy that had a passion for learning. He was even known to make his own potions. The lesser ones he would give to the witches to use in their shows. But most he kept for himself.

Within a few minutes of drinking the sweet tasting liquid, he could feel the effect of drowsiness overtaking him and he laid back down to be taken in by a field of ill-sorted dreams.


	4. A Girl And Her Tigers

Chapter 3

br> br>Erik didn't wake until the late afternoon. Still groggy from the potion he stumbled outside to let the fresh air clear his head. There was already a crowd gathering at the entertainment tents not far away. Grabbing his cape from his tent, and ensuring that his mask was firmly in place, he walked on the outskirts of the fair, far from any wandering eyes. He had always had incredible eyesight and he saw the festivities with no difficulty as he moved with great stealth and caution from attraction to attraction.

br> br>He was more likely to be spotted during the daytime and so needed to take extra precautions in his proximity to the crowds. In the nighttime he could be within a few feet of someone and they would never know, but in the light of day, he was no longer an entertainment to be gawked at. He was a monster that could be hurt or even killed without thought.

br> br>As he neared the crowds, he could see that nearly all the people had gathered around a great, circular cage. Erik judged it to be about 50 yards long. The iron bars that served as the wall of the cage stood ten feet high. Leaving the sky as the ceiling.

br> br>The cage was empty save for a box in the middle. Erik sat away from the crowds, out of sight on a hill to watch the blue-eyed girl and her tigers.

br> br>He couldn't help but think about the night before as he waited for the show to start. He was silently cursing himself for his stupidity. He should have left when he had seen her stir as she was regaining consciousness. Why had she not screamed or cried out for help when she saw him? Did he frighten her so badly that she couldn't even speak? All these thoughts were swirling in his mind as he heard a cheer go up from the crowd and he looked up to see a girl enter the cage. It wasn't the blue-eyed girl, but one of the sisters he had seen the night before at the bon fire. She walked to the box and though her voice was loud and carried well, Erik still had to strain to hear it.

br> br>"Madams and Monsieurs, you are about to witness one of the most dangerous acts to ever travel a fair. I must ask you, please do not come close to the cage or throw any items into the cage. While these tigers are trained, they are still wild animals. So for your safety and the safety of our trainer, please do not attempt to place anything within these bars. Thank you."

br> br>She finished with a flourishing bow and ran out of the cage. She held the door open as the girl and her two tigers ran into the cage to meet the cheering audience. Erik was slightly amused at the introduction, but couldn't help but want to clap himself as the girl ran into the cage. She looked different then she had the night before. She wore a leather corset and a long skirt that seemed to have designs on it. Though hard to tell from his perch on the hill.

br> br>The act was perfect. The mighty creatures obeyed her every silent command. Erik even found himself amazed at the performance. He was not surprised in the least when she did not try to have the Siberian leap over her. But it was still amazing to watch as they treated her as a cub would its mother. Even placing both paws on her shoulders when she stood on the box and held a treat over her head for the tiger to eat. It was incredible to see the height of the creatures. He knew that the girl was tall, but even standing on the box, the tigers had no problem simply balancing on its hind legs and merely using her shoulders to steady themselves when they ate the treat from her bare hand.

br> br>It was easy to see the power of the animals in the stunts they did. And equally simple to see how easily one could get hurt in a cage with those creatures.

br> br>The girl waved her goodbye and ran out to put the tigers back into their cage. Erik was surprised to see that it was the sister that gave the introduction and warnings at the beginning of the show to come back out and collect the money and answer the questions of the people as they left. But he dismissed it as a meaningless observation that he did not need to waste his genius on trying to explain, when there was quite possibly no explanation needed.

br> br>So he simply left to prepare for his own show that night. He was curious if the girl would come and watch him again. He assumed that he had frightened her too badly for her to come and watch him perform his mysterious wonders. This saddened him. As if in some way he had failed. He hadn't really noticed how much he enjoyed having her watch him until he thought of her not being there.

br> br>The sun was setting and the sky burst into a wonderful array of pinks, purples and oranges. Erik always enjoyed sunsets. The closing of the day met with such vibrant colors. He watched as the light bounced off the clouds as he walked to his tent. People would start flooding the area and he needed to make sure he avoided them at all costs.

br> br>He reached his tent just as the last of the color dripped from the sky and darkness took over. All the lamps were lit along the paths and he ducked inside just as the crowds started making their way down to the entertainments of the night.

br> br>His performance was the same as it always was. Flawless in every way. He did not see the girl's blue eyes until everyone was leaving. He caught sight of them just as they darted outside. He was happy that she had come. He had wanted so badly to see her that night.

br> br>He had planned on following her, just to watch her. He enjoyed watching the way she walked and interacted with the animals. But just as he had finished collecting all the money and the last of the crowds were filtering out of the fair and off towards their houses and warm beds, one of the sisters stepped inside.

br> br>"What can I do for you?" He asked. His voice cold.

br> br>"I... I was wondering if we might be able to talk." She said, obviously uncomfortable with having to talk to this ghost of a man.

br> br>"Talk?" He repeated as if he had misunderstood what the girl had said. "And what on earth would you need to talk me about?" He asked harshly. This girl did not want to talk to him any more than he wanted her to.

br> br>"About my sister. The mud flower."

br> br>Erik glanced sharply at the girl. He had heard the man at the fire call the blue eyed girl his mud flower. Surely that girl and the one that stood in front of him now could not be related. But as he studied the frightened girl's face, he could, in fact, see some resemblance.

br> br>"Alright." He said as he motioned for her to sit down. He placed the leather bag that he had put what he had collected that night by his bed and sat down.

br> br>The girl obeyed and her eyes widened at the sight of the bag. But she did not mention it. She had only come to say what she needed to and leave. She didn't want to stay any longer than was necessary.


	5. About a Mud Flower

**A/N: If you can read this, I would really appriciate some reviews. Otherwise, I'm going to delete this story. I'm sure every author understands that it's a lot of work to write something that no one reads. Thank you if you have replied and thank you for reading.**

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br> br>Chapter 4 

br> br>"I don't even know where to start. I'm only here because my sister begged me to come talk to you." The frightened girl began.

br> br>"Maybe we should start with your name. And then your sister's name." He said, finding it rather funny that he had been so fascinated by this girl and didn't even know her name.

br> br>"Well, my name is Rana. I have an older sister Minada. But my younger sister, the one who sent me... she... she doesn't have a name." She said in a hushed voice.It wasalmost as if she was embarrassed for her sister.

br> br>"She what?" Asked Erik in confusion. How could someone not have a name? What would they say to call her attention?

br> br>"She did have one, naturally. But no one remembers it now. It was some sort of a flower, but there are so many different names it could have been. We all just call her mud flower."

br> br>"And how did a name like that get started?" He asked, feeling rather curious how such a name could come about. But hiding any possible sign of intrege. The last thing he needed was for word to get around that he was interested in a girl. No, not a girl. A woman.

br> br>Erik inwardly kicked himself for thinking thoughts that could very easily get him into trouble. He shouldn't have even let this girl Rana into his tent. Yet here she was telling him about a girl that was as mysterious to him as he was to everyone else.

br> br>"Our father." She said. Causing Erik tosnap back into the conversation."He said that she carried too much filthiness to have a name. We... wedon't share the same mother with her. Her mother was not gypsy. One day a lady just showed up and handed her to my father. Said she was his daughter and the mother had died in childbirth. I know you are not a gypsy, but I'm sure you understand why he didn't want her."

br> br>"Indeed I do." He said. His voice not as cold as it had been."It's a disgrace to have a child outside of your own kind. Having a child by a non-gypsy would be quite a stain to such an impressive blood line as your father's."

br> br>"How... How would you know about my father's blood line?" Rana asked, suddenly reminded of how dangerous the man she was talking with was. SHe had gotten carried away and felt as though she were talking with any, well, normal person. But this man was not normal. Not in any way.

br> br>"Oh don't sound so frightened." He said with more thana little resentment. "I've spent enough time with you gypsies to know a high lineage when I see and hear one. You father has a very distinctive voice. Most would call it thunderous or intimidating."

br> br>"And what would you call it?" She asked. Slightly harsher then she had intended.

br> br>"Annoying." He said without hesitation or emotion.

br> br>"Well, it does get rather old. But when he's mad he does things that would frighten even you." She said with an expression on her face that easily told she was remembering some terrible thing.

br> br>"Nothing frightens me." He said with finality.

br> br>"Then why did you help my sister?"

br> br>Erik stiffened at the question. This girl was now prying into affairs that did not concern her. He had helped her sister because he couldn't resist. Something inside him had compelled him to do something to help the girl. And he was powerless to resist it.

br> br>"Was it not because you were frightened for her?" She continued. Not as a challenge, but as a general curiosity.

br> br>Erik took a deep breath. This girl had brought his guard up and he had to convince himself not to snap at her. Gypsy curiosity, he reminded himself. Why couldn't they ever mind their own business?

br> br>"No." He said finally. "I was thinking about what a mess it would make to have her strewn all over that field. Not very good for business you know." He replied with a voice as unemotionless and caring as a rock.

br> br>The girl grimaced at the thought of her sister not only being killed but mauled by those powerful creatures. She couldn't help but think that maybethis repulsive, horror of a manreally didn't have a care but for his business and his profits.

br> br>Erik wasextremely glad at that moment that his mask covered his entire face, for he found himself nearly sick at the sight his mind had pictured. He bit his lip to keep himself calm. He could have said that about anyone else and not felt a thing. But thinking about that happening to this girl, this mud flower, made him feel nausiated.

br> br>Rana stood and straightened her skirt. "I knew she was wrong." She said with a sudden coldness. "I knew that you were nothing but a heartless monster." Her voice was low and emotional. Nearly on the brink of tears.

br> br>_Did this girl wish to die? _Erik thought to himself. His rage boiled inside him at the name she had called him. He was on his feet in an instant and stood with his face only inches from the girl's.

br> br>"If your sister thought so highly of me, then why did she not come and talk to me herself?" He hissed. Venom almost dripping on every word.Rana might have the ability to speak coldly, but no one had themenicing voice that Erik could command. It could make a grown man quake with fear.He had to suppress the extremely strong urge to grab a hold of the girl's neck and squeeze until she stopped moving and the life drained from her eyes. But his thoughts then led from Rana's hazel eyes to the sapphire eyes of a mud flower and he shut his mind off to thinking such dreadful things.

br> br>The girl seemed to not care that this man had the power and obvious willingness to kill her where she stood. Her words came without the fear-inspiring sound as Eriks, but insted was now unemotional and meant to sting with all the power that they held. Causing Erik's mind to whirl and the girl to spin on her heal and stalk out of his tent.

br> br>"Because she's a mute."


End file.
